The Cold Case of The Gold Cross Necklace

Got a lead? or a story of your own that need helped being solved? In 1972, 14-year-old Lora Jean Dugan walked away from her Montana home after a family argument, intending to hitchhike across state lines. Three weeks later, her body was discovered 250 miles away in the rugged North Dakota Badlands—a cross necklace left dangling from a nearby tree.Decades after the case went cold, modern genetic genealogy and renewed efforts by the Billings County Sheriff’s Office are finally closing in on a killer who has remained in the shadows for over 50 years. This episode explores Lora Jean’s final journey and the forensic breakthrough that may finally bring justice to the "Girl with the Cross Necklace." Let’s pull back the shadows that have kept these cold cases in the dark for far too long. Piece by piece, we’ll work to rebuild the truth not just for the story, but for the victims and the families still waiting for answers. The puzzle isn’t complete yet, but together, we’re getting closer.